Meath MASTER Plan March 3pm May 17th 2008

Public to Show Support for Sustainable Development Plan that Solves M3 Legal, Environmental, Heritage Issues; Improves Quality of Life in Region

PRESS RELEASE

For Release 6/5/2008

A public march in support of the innovative Meath MASTER Plan will take place on Saturday May 17th 2008 at 3pm.

Participants are asked to meet at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, and the march will proceed to Dail Eireann, where there will be speeches, music and a presentation of the Plan to government officials.

The MASTER (Model Archaeological and Sustainable Economic Region) Plan is an advanced development plan that solves the current legal, environmental and heritage issues around the controversial M3 motorway, and also provides a wider model for sustainable economic, heritage and tourism development in Meath.

A key goal of the Plan is to enable Meath people to work in their locality, reduce their dependence on long-distance commuting to Dublin, and consequently allow them to spend more time with their families and within their community.

A second goal is to reduce Meath's CO2 emissions and its reliance on oil use for transport and energy, and to regenerate the local economy and communities of the region. Reduced oil use would lead to much lower costs in the future for both families and businesses in Meath. The promoters of the Plan stress this should be a national priority at a time when the oil price is close to $120 per barrel and has increased by over 500% since 2002.

The MASTER Plan objectives would be achieved via the creation of a community transport network to include a toll-free 2+1 road, and rail and coach services that facilitate easy travel throughout Meath, together with the creation of a UNESCO Meath World Heritage Park to generate tourism revenue, preserve the unique value of Meath's heritage sites and demonstrate the importance of sustainable living.

The Plan avoids re-routing the M3 as it uses much of the current road scheme "footprint" and switches to the existing N3 in the sensitive Tara-Skryne Valley area whilst still providing bypasses of Dunshaughlin and Navan. Land within the Tara-Skryne Valley purchased for the M3 would be held in state ownership and designated for heritage interpretation and protection.

The modified road scheme would also save significant costs for commuters and businesses as it would be toll-free, since the reduced cost of the 2+1 road format allows for buy-out of the PPP contract.

The Plan additionally implements the long-sought rail link to Navan and Kells, and provides for new coach services, creating a cost-effective, sustainable and reliable community transport network that would break dependency on long-distance commuting, encourage local job creation and dramatically improve quality of life for those living in the region.

The coach and rail alternatives would help reduce traffic volumes on the modified M3 by up to two-thirds, and the capital costs involved are approx. € 300 million less than current Government proposals.

The parallel designation of the region as a UNESCO World Heritage site would result in the preservation, protection and sustainable management of the archaeology in the Tara-Skryne Valley and surrounding areas. The extent of the World Heritage site would encompass the five major centres of Navan, Kells, Trim, Dunshaughlin and Slane, bringing a major tourist and economic dividend for the region with a potential increase of €75 million in tourism revenue per annum.

Co-authors of the Meath MASTER Plan, environmental campaigner Tadhg Crowley and transport researcher Brian Guckian, stated: "The Meath MASTER Plan is a huge opportunity to be grasped, with very significant economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits. It is something that everyone can have ownership of, and our message is that there is a solution, and that it can be implemented right now".

The proposal is currently with government and has received strong backing from the public and from across the political spectrum.

Guest speakers at the march will outline what the Plan means to them and the event will be a positive and constructive chance to engage with the issues involved, according to the organisers.

ENDS

For details on the arrangements for the Meath MASTER Plan March, please contact:

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Comments (25 of 25)

Spread the word! Fantastic to see such positivity , it will be a wonderful March and I'm sure well supported by groups including Environmentalists, those with Transport interests, Tourism bodies, Buisness people etc and especially Tara lovers.

Wonderful!

Looking forward to hearing the beautiful sound of Harpists outside the Dail again - very special indeed.

Having giving consideration to the proposed Meath Master Plan, on the first reading it appeared to be a 'Patch' to the M3 scheme.

On subsequent readings there are a number of apparent additions needed:

For instance more land would need to be acquired for carparking at the rail heads; unless of course the users rode pushbikes which I very much doubt :-)

The existing N3 would need to be widened and greatly improved, necessitating CPO's and the removal of domestic properties. This to accomodate future increased traffic.

The existing construction of the M3 would need to be landscaped to return it to something like it's former.

The newly revealed ancient sites would need some sort of structure built over then to preserve their uniqueness, possibly a museum at each site?

Now in the creation of Tourist Park, there would need to be a Tourist Information Centre and additional facilities created; including the building of new hotels, shops, restaurants, camping areas, with sewage and water schemes to service the tourist industry, plus feeder roads & extra parking.
In addition to that homes would be needed for the workers and services for them too.

I do believe that the government ought to be actively encouraged to support the MMP, for I see that it could prove to be a good money making scheme for Private & Public Investment.

Roadster your interpretation doesn't stack up. The M7 near Naas was recently widened which required home CPO's. This came to pass with the minimum of fuss since many of the homeowners were relieved to be moving away from the edge of a very busy road with all the nuisance and dangers to health that living in such a situation entails and which was getting steadily worse with every passing year.

Secondly all the facilties you claim will need to be built withing the valley can easily be provided in nearby existing towns and villages where all such services including houses are readily availiable. Indeed this would have very much a positive economic benefit for these areas given the slowdown were now in.

I was in a Taxi friday night listening to the Driver talking about his son who lives in Navan. We got talking about the terrible commute to Dublin etc and the desperate need for improvement. He was TOTALLY unaware of the fact that his son would have to pay a DOUBLE TOLL on the new Motorway and was, even more importantly, sure that his son was unaware of this fact too. And that is the problem here. Hopefully this March on Saturday will help people to wake up!

Each Speaker was so passionate in their delivery I will not even attempt to give you an overview, you will have to wait for the video! This is just the start of the campaign to get the Meath Master Plan on the road and what a start it was :)

Thanks so much to all who attended and to everyone who helped to put out flyers, posters and in setting up the march. Special thanks to Carmel, Roibeard, Terri and all the speakers who spoke so effectively and so eloquently. Thank you all.

Thank you also to Laoise and all her friends for the beautiful music, to add to the occasion.

It was a very positive day, promoting a very positive way forward for the people of Meath - the Meath MASTER Plan is a plan that will safeguard the future of Meath.... comparing that against what is an over specified, completely ineffective, over costly Tolled motorway that will only make transport, environmental and quality of life issues worse, then there is no argument.

If built the M3 will be obsolete within a few years, due to petrol price rises.

One further thing though that I would like to draw peoples attention to is what I see as an almost blanket media blackout on the Meath Master Plan. Two Press Releases were sent out over a two week period to over 120 different Newspaper, Tv and Radio stations both here and in Northern Ireland. There were NO replies from Newspapers or Tv and only 2 Radio stations carried the story.

It's hardly a small story either- a SOLUTION to the Tara/M3 Disaster!!!! A blueprint for sustainable living, no double tolls- thats a BIG story. Make of that what you want.

We need more people on the next March scheduled for Navan, details nearer to the time. Volunteers have been busy there and in surrounding areas leafleting residences with information about the MMP. Onwards and upwards :)

It is true that there was a media blackout and one has to be realistic in one's analysis. However, one reason could be, the media concentration on Lisbon - it simply has monopolised their whole attention. Anyway, let's be positive and send out positive vibrations. From small beginnings, can sprout great endings. If one believes enough, one can generate a great harvest, so let's keep the ball rolling in the public domain and see what happens.....

Wish I could have been there, looks like it was a great day. I will make sure I am off for the next one. I am looking forward to your presentation at the Tara Heritage Hall on Saturday- booked day off!!!

The Navan to Dublin railway project looks to be dead in the water
after it was revealed that one of two key bridges along the M3
protecting the route is not being built.

Site visits by the Meath Post to both locations at Pace (Dunboyne) and
Cannistown (Navan) has revealed that whilst the bridge protecting the
railway at Dunboyne is being constructed, the bridge south of Navan is
not, and the M3 is now being built directly across the railway alignment.

News of this missing bridge and its impact on the Navan Dublin railway
project is likely to be met with anger by Meath's commuters.

However Iarnrod Eireann claim that the NRA have factored in the
problem and will build embankments to allow the railway to go ahead.

During the planning process for the M3 in 2003, concerns were raised
by Iarnród Éireann that reopening of the Navan Dublin railway would be
made too costly if M3 planners were allowed cut the former railway
line in two by running the M3 through it without first building a bridge.

Local railway campaigners, using information from Iarnród Éireann,
succeeded in obtaining the insertion of two railway bridges in the M3
plans to protect efforts to reopen the railway.

Under order of An Bord Pleanála, Meath County Council drew up plans
for one bridge at Dunboyne to protect the former railway line, and
another at Cannistown just south of Navan.

As recently as 2006, Meath County Council planning office insisted
that both bridge plans remained on file and that the Navan Dublin
railway line was being protected.

An Bord Pleanála's ruling stated that a bridge to allow the railway
pass beneath the M3 similar to the Dunboyne bridge should be
constructed at Cannistown. The instruction was that unless Iarnród
Éireann indicated that they intended following a new rail route for at
this section then the bridge as designed should be inserted.

To run the line over the motorway would take an enormous effort and
massive cost, with a 26 foot embankment required to run for kilometres
on either side of the M3 to allow the railway pass above the motorway.

As late as last month, Iarnród Éireann indicated that this section of
the former line was being retained, but the evidence in this
photograph shows this has not happened.

Despite this, a spokeswoman told the Meath Post that the NRA are aware
of their responsibilities.

"The (the NRA) are going to make provision and embankments will be
built that will allow the railway to go ahead."

In view of the seriousness of the recent Meath Post article re: the
rail line, I am looking to get a letter writing campaign underway
immediately to Noel Dempsey. Please use this or your own wording and
email or post to

minister@transport.ie

The Department Of Transport,
Transport House,
Kildare St,
Dublin 2.

Obviously there is no need to stress how URGENT this is so please do it
asap. I think that letters would be better than emails but whatever you
can :) Thanks.

Dear Minister Dempsey,

I am writing to demand that the Meath Master Plan, details of which you
are already aware of, be implemented immediately. There is no valid
reason for any further delay in its implementation as benefits to our
Economy, Environment and Heritage far outweigh any benefits percieved
in the current plan. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

And of course a similar letter to the oppostion parties to put pressure on Dempsey to see the light! We need to push for the MMP to be brought up again in the Dáil and to demand a full responce from him as he has always ducked a straight answer thus far in any question time.